Telegraph instrument



Dec. 1, 19 1. A, MALE 1,834,076

TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENT Filed Feb. 17, 1950 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR JOHN ARTHUR SMME ATTORNEY Dec. 1,1931. J. A. SMALE 1,834,075

TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENT Filed Feb. 17. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [0 0 a a 1 L L a Z x INVENTOR JOHN ARTHUR SMALE v ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1, 1931 earn-. ).sures PATENT, o e-" ce JOHN ARTHUR SMALE, OFBRENTWOOD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR r nADIo eonronA'rronv I onAMERIoA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENT Application iuedrebruarj '17, 1930, Serial No. 428,875, and in Great Britain February 25, 1929.

This invention relates to telegraph instruments, and more particularlyto telegraph instruments suchas undulators in which signals are inscribed upon'a tape or slip. Such 5! tape or slip is generally in the form of rolls. In most known telegraph instruments, and more particularly in undulators (in which the writing point does'not leave the writing surface), it is necessary to stop the instrumerit when one roll has beenused, in order to. insert a new rollJ'The-preseiit invention has for its principal Object to obviate this disadvantage and to provide a telegraph instrument capable of operating continuously. I

" According to this'inventionja telegraph instrument comprises twomagazines for retaining paper slip or the like, one abovethe other, the. arrangement beingsuchthat when the lower magazine from which paper or the 90 like is normally fed) is removed, the upper falls into the place previously occupied by said lowermagazine. I a p In one form of constructlon an undulator iwhich, as regards its general arrangement, may be of any known kind, is prov ded 1n 1ts base with two similar drawers,leach adapted to retain a roll of paper tape. These drawers are arranged one abovethe other, in such manner that when the lower drawer is pulled out, i. e. removed, the upper x falls into the lower position- .Means are provided for preventing the drawer. in the upper position from being pulled out and for preventing .said drawer from falling too suddenly when the drawer in the lower position is removed. The writing platform, i. e. the part at which signal inscription occurs, is constituted by a roller, a flat platform or iguideextending from said roller (the writing roller, as it is commonly termed) to the pulling roller, i. e.

., the roller which frictionally engages the strip or tape and pulls itthrough the machine.

Inuse the slip is normally-fed to the machine from the bottom drawer, a fresh roll being inserted in the top drawer. VVhenthe roll being used"is'nearingexhaustion (an occurrence whichis generally indicated by suitable marking on' the'strip) the end of the paper from the roll in thetop drawer is m pushed under the writing roller under the slip passing out of the bottom draweryand is dragged along by said slip until it reaches the pulling roller which then proceeds to pull both slips. After the free end of the exhausted roll has passedthe writin'gpointu the bottom drawer is pulled out, and the top drawer falls; into the position said bottom drawer occupied. A new roll of slip may now be placed in the said bottom drawer, which, 'i

is ready to be pushed into the machine in the position drawer,

In cases'where the inner end of a rfoll' of slip isgummed to a cardboard centre, it is, of course, necessary to break the said slip before the roll is completely exhausted-and the said slip pulled taut. This may be done by hand, or preferably by means of a small guillotine located one in each drawer and adapted to cut the slip without exerting drag thereon. Alternatively, a single guillotine may be fixed in the base to operate in the lower position only. r

The inventionis illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show one'form'of construction in accordance with the said; in-

Vention. W

In the drawings Figure 1 is a schematic elevation and Figure 2 aplan Oftthlgll speed undulator embodying the invention; Figure- 3 is a plan, Figure 4 aside elevation, and

Figure 5 is a section of one of the drawers in-' corporated inthe undulator, while Figure 6 showsin greater detail the guillotine mechanism contained in each of the drawers Referring to the drawings the undulator is provided with two cast metal drawers '1, mounted one above the other in the cast metal base 2 of the undulator and-each carrying a 00 previously occupied by the'top ers, over the guide roller and then past the parts 11, 12, 13 and 14 in succession.

The roll of tape in the drawer shown in the upper position acts as a replacement for that in the lower position when said lower roll is nearing exhaustion. A-spring catch 15 co-operating with a notch 16in the -drawer serves to prevent the accidental withdrawal of a drawer when in the upper position.

When the tape in the lower drawer is nearing exhaustion (an occurrence generally indicated by markings on the tape that from the upper drawer is fed over the roller 10 through the chute 11 until it engages between the writing roller 12 and the running tape -(i. e. that from the lower draw-er) which being in tension, frictionally engages the new tape and pulls it along through the chute- 13 to the pulling roller 14. WVhen the new tape is feeding properly that from the lower drawor is cut by pressing the button 9 which releases the trigger 17 01? the guillotine 7. The

action-of the guillotine is sufficiently rapid to prevent dragging of the tape and consequent distortion of the signal. I 1 V The lower drawer is now pulled -ou-t-(the catch 15 preventing the upper drawer from following it) and the, tape therein is re plenished. When the lower drawer is pulled out the upper, of course, falls into the lower position. A rapid fall of the upper drawer I and consequent drag upon the tape is prevented by the fact that the handles18 of the drawers are so shaped that while thelower drawer is beingwithdrawn the back-thereof slidesover the inclined underside (19) of the handle of the upper drawer thus giving a gradual lowering efiect. The possibility of .dragon the tape is also guarded against by providing in each drawera spring loaded arm on which is carried the guide'roller '5.

When the lower drawer, which has now been removed, is refilled, the guillotine is reset by lifting the bar '21 and the said drawer is inserted in the top position. I

Should the guillotine in a drawer in the top position be operatedin error the drawer can be removed by releasing the spring catch 15 and the tape threading operation reperformed.

If desired the .guillotines may be provided with inclined knives so as to cut the tape at an angle and if desired also the said gnillotines may be arranged to be operated automatically when'the drawers are withdrawn, i. e., the actionof pulling out the lower drawer may operate the guillotine therein. The remainder of the apparatus shown in the drawings is known per se and forms no part of the present invention.

It will be seen that with apparatus in accordance with this invention a continuous feed may be obtained, while the necessity .for stopping the machine or removing the writing point from the slip is obviated.

her next below.

enamed means above it].

by the lower, andmeans when any one of said J magazines "is removed tor slowly lowering each one otf-themagazines directly above to the position formerly occupied by the magazine next below.

.2. In a telegraph instrument aplurality of closure members for retaining recording 6 material arrangedone aboveanother, recording points, means for teeding recording material from the lowermost of said closure .members'adjacent said recording points and meanseooperating with said lowermost mem-;- 85

her when said lowermost member is removed tor loweringeach of the other members to the position formerly by the mem- 3. In a telegraph. instrument, a pliiral 8 ity of means for retaining recordingmaterial arranged one above another, recording means, means adjaoentsaid recordin means for feeding reoordingmaterial from t e lowermost one oi said first namedmeans to;l 5 said recordingmeans, means for lowering each of the upper retaining means tow the position formerly occupied by the means next :below whenthe rec oiiling material in said lowermost means is exhausted, and means onri each of said retaining means and co-operating with the retaining means directly below .it only when said means directly below is being removed for controlling. the lowering action of itselfand all other of said .firstzgql .4. In combination. with telegraphic means aplurality of magazines for retaining re- "cording material arranged one above the other, recording devices, means for feeding-J10 recording material from the lowermost one of said magazines past said recording devices, means when said lowermost magazine is removed .ior lowering each oneof the other magazines to the position formerly occupied by the magazine directly below it and means in each of said magazines for cutting off the recording material being fed therefrom.

' 5. A telegraph instrument comprising two drawerlike magazines each adapted to contain a roll of paper or the like, guide rolls or the like, forguiding said paper from said magazines "and a guillotine for cutting said paper, said magazines being arranged one above the other, the arrangement being such that when the lower magazine from which paper or the like is normally fe d is removed the upper falls into the place previously occupied by the lower, substantially as described. 1 130 6. An instrument as claimed in claim 5 and in which the guillotines are arranged to be operated automatically by withdrawing the appropriate drawer, substantially as described.

7 An instrument as claimed in claim 5 in which means are provided for preventing too sudden a fall of the upper magazine when the lower magazine is Withdrawn.

8. An instrument as claimed in claim 5 in which the drawers are provided with handles c 

